Rebirth: The Ascent of a Socialite-Chapter 548 - 229: Matching Outfits at the Banquet
"Isn’t this just a regular banquet?" Su Ziceng held Hang Yishao’s hand as they walked into the banquet hall. She hadn’t attended such an event for quite some time. She would not have agreed to accompany him if Hang Yishao hadn’t told her he was urgently in need of a dance partner.
"My dad told me it was a regular banquet. Tonight was supposed to be attended by my parents, but just before we left the house, my mom felt unwell," Hang Yishao clarified, mentioning that he had to hastily prepare, yet he had even managed to arrange a gown for Su Ziceng.
He was dressed in a light beige suit, while Su Ziceng was in an elegant white cocktail dress. Together, they made a matching pair. Upon entering the hall, quite a few people recognized Su Ziceng, and seeing her with Hang Yishao, many began to whisper amongst themselves.
Su Ziceng felt somewhat embarrassed, but Hang Yishao didn’t see anything particularly amiss. The banquet hall was filled with notable figures and officials from Mo City; this banquet was far from ordinary.
"What is the banquet for tonight?" Su Ziceng asked in a low voice. She had even spotted the mayor, and it was hard to believe that an ordinary banquet would be attended by both the mayor and the party secretary.
"They say some VIP from the central government has come," Hang Yishao coughed softly, "We’re just minor characters; you needn’t pay special attention."
Has the main character of tonight’s event not shown up yet?
There was a commotion at the entrance; Pello and Wen Maixue walked in. Wen Maixue was wearing a gown identical to Su Ziceng’s, and Pello was also in a beige suit. Such coincidental clashing of outfits was a bit too much.
Su Ziceng turned around intending to avoid them, but Hang Yishao held her back. She realized this evening’s banquet was no small affair.
"We arrived first, what’s there to fear?" The same outfits, on different people, conveyed entirely different vibes. Wen Maixue might not suit red, but Su Ziceng was gradually fitting into white. Her subtle elegance in white, paired with her increasingly cool gaze, made her look like a meticulously sculpted ice flower from afar.
Pello also noticed the two not far away. He took off his jacket and draped it over Wen Maixue’s shoulders, showing off his well-fitted waistcoat. The same coat, yet different clothes inside.
"I suddenly feel this banquet is not worth attending," Hang Yishao heard whispered comments nearby, he put his arm around Su Ziceng’s waist and they headed outside. The banquet had already started for a while, yet the person his father mentioned hadn’t appeared. Could there be some mistake in the information?
"Pello, wasn’t it said Mr. Deng would attend the banquet?" Wen Maixue pretended not to notice Pello’s brief distraction and tugged at his sleeve.
"Maybe the old man was scared off by the ostentatious ways of these officials," Pello joked. Mo City’s nouveau riche bureaucrats even used imported caviar and top-shelf foreign liquors to entertain Mr. Deng, who was known for his simple lifestyle. No doubt, the banquet would not wait for its intended guest of honor.
Just as Hang Yishao stepped out of the banquet hall, he noticed that the cars previously parked outside had vanished, and even the policemen and security guards who had been there to maintain order were all gone.
"Ziceng, wait here for a moment; I’ll go back and take a look," Hang Yishao was puzzled as the surrounding vehicles seemed to have suddenly disappeared. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
After Hang Yishao walked away, Su Ziceng stood waiting in place for a while.
"Young lady," she heard a voice from behind. She turned around but saw no one.
"Over here," the voice came from the bushes to her left. Su Ziceng took a few steps and then saw Mr. Deng sitting alone on the lawn.
"Mr. Deng," Su Ziceng exclaimed in surprise, realizing that today’s banquet guest was, in fact, Mr. Deng, "Why have you come to the South?"
"This is my second Southern Inspection," said Mr. Deng with a smile, "consider it fulfilling a wish before my death."
Inside the banquet hall, the lights shimmered and guests milled about. Outside, an old man and a young woman crouched on the lawn.
"Why don’t you go inside? Everyone in there is waiting for you," Su Ziceng looked back, Hang Yishao had not yet come out.
"Don’t bother looking. That youngster who just went in is probably stopped by my staff," Mr. Deng’s words left Su Ziceng puzzled again.
"All these cars outside, and... Did you come on your Southern Inspection just to have a chat with me... hiding behind the bushes?" Su Ziceng looked around at the shrubs where they were hiding, which was also at a corner of the lawn. This great leader of the country had a habit of squatting in corners.
